Sengoku Driver
The is the transformation belt for the Armored Riders. It was invented by Ryoma Sengoku of the Yggdrasill Corporation as the first generation of Yggdrasill's transformation devices, with the Genesis Driver being the second generation. In theory, an indefinite amount of Sengoku Drivers exist, as there were numerous people (Bujin Gaim, Fifteen, Mars) who received Sengoku Drivers via unconventional means. Design A Sengoku Driver consists of the following parts: * is the arm part fixing the Lockseed. When releasing the power of Lockseed, it plays a role of a safety device to prevent power runaway. * is the storage bay to set Lockseed. It has enough strength to withstand power released and also plays a role as a connector for connection that exchanges energy between Lockseed and Sengoku Driver. * is a blade-like switch that plays the role of a trigger to release the power of Lockseed. By lowering the blade, the set Lockseed opens, and it exerts its effect. * is a display board indicating that the transformation to Armored Rider was certified. * is a switch next to the Cutting Blade. It can release the transformation by the Sengoku Driver. * is the belt part to hold the Sengoku Driver. Usually it is folded and stored in the buckle part of the driver, but it automatically stretches according to the wearer's body shape. * is a storage block to store the Folding Band. Functionality The Sengoku Driver is usually only in its buckle form. If the user wants to use the belt, all they have to do is place it on their waist and the Folding Band will automatically wrap around their body, fastening the belt. The Sengoku Driver possesses a Rider Indicator ( in Toyline) plate on the wearer's left hand side. The Rider Indicator indicates what Ride Wear was generated upon attaching to the user during its first use. When the Driver is damaged beyond function, the Rider Indicator becomes blank. Removal of the Rider Indicator allows extensions to be used in its place. In the DX Toyline, swapping the Rider Indicator changes the standby sounds, but in the show, it only reflects what Ride Wear the Driver possesses. Not all Sengoku Drivers are made equal with some being more powerful than the others. The user's physical feats are also a factor as the military trained Oren Pierre Alfonzo had stats on par with the New Generation Riders. This is more evident in the case where two users utilize the same Lockseed where Gaim and Baron Banana Arms vary in stats. The Sengoku Driver can pluck Helheim fruit and transform them into Lockseeds. Wearing a Driver and locking a Lockseed in also provides nutrition to a wearer thus allowing them to survive without growing hungry. When the Cutting Blade is pressed down between one and three times, a Rider can activate a certain ability. *Once: The function can either power up a Rider's Arms Weapon for a finishing attack or allow the user to initiate a Rider Kick when infused with the fruit-shaped/nut-shaped energy of their Arms. *Twice: The function gives extra power to the Squash function. *Thrice: The function can either further enhance a Rider's finishing attack to its full potential or temporarily convert the user's Armor Part into its original fruit/nut form to spin and use as a shield. Transformation Process To transform, the user opens the lock on the Lockseed, which causes a dimensional opening into the Helheim Forest to materialize above them and an Armor Part that corresponds to the Lockseed used to appear from it. Afterwards, the user attaches the Lockseed onto the belt's Drive Bay and closes the lock to secure it into the Lock On Arm. Finally, the user presses the Cutting Blade knife down, which cuts open the Lockseed itself, causing the Armor Part to fall on top of the user's head and the Driver to announce the Arms granted, along with its corresponding phrase. Once on the user, the Armor Part materializes the Ride Wear suit and forms the Arms Helmet head piece. Afterwards, the Armor Part disassembles to form the chestplate and pauldrons, with the Arms Weapon appearing in the Rider's hands once the transformation is complete. If the Rider is already in the Helheim Forest, the Armor Part will just materialize above the Rider from energy in the same color as the Arms armor is in.JEFusion Variations #Prototype Sengoku Driver - non-DNA Locked, but can transform premature Helheim fruits into Lockseeds. Primarily used by Yggdrasill R&D Researchers. The Lockseeds can be inserted to absorb nutrition from the Lockseeds. #Mass Produced Sengoku Driver - non-DNA Locked with no Rider Indicator. The default Ride Wear is Kurokage. This model is noted to be weaker than the Prototype Drivers as they are meant to be used by as many people as possible with decent performance against Standard Inves. #Mass Produced Sengoku Driver Variation #2 - non-DNA Locked with no Rider Indicator. The default Ride Wear is Kurokage with a different helmet. Zack is the only one to have this in all of his Sengoku Drivers. #Mass Produced Sengoku Driver Variation #3 - non-DNA Locked with a Rider Indicator. The Ride Wear loaded in the Driver is from the original user's data from their Prototype Drivers. It is noted to be stronger than the Prototype Drivers to some degree. This model can replace its Rider Indicator for a Genesis Core Unit. Extensions The Sengoku Driver can also combine with the Genesis Driver by replacing the former's Rider Indicator with the latter's Genesis Core. The result of using an Energy Lockseed with a normal Lockseed creates a jinbaori-themed Jimber Armor Part with patterns based on the Energy Lockseed. History The Sengoku Drivers were invented by Ryoma Sengoku, a scientist of the Yggdrasill Corporation's R&D Branch. As per the company's plans, the first six would be prototypes distributed to the Beat Riders of Zawame City. This way, whenever a Beat Rider transformed and fought, the Driver would collect data that would be used further by the Corporation's R&D Branch. The data collected from the Sengoku Drivers would eventually culminate in the creation of the Genesis Drivers, as well as the mass-production Sengoku Drivers used by the Kurokage Troopers. Meanwhile, it is revealed there are two hidden prototype Sengoku Drivers left beside's Takatora's Sengoku Driver, as seen in the Gaiden series. Ryoma Sengoku reveals that in 10 years time, the day the Inves take over, Yggdrasill can make one billion Sengoku Drivers, wiping out the other six billion people. Unfortunately, the Over Lords sped it up thanks to Rosyuo and Yggdrasill's self-destruction. After the death of Ryoma Sengoku, Kaito Kumon took up the means of power by becoming an Over Lord. Using this new found power, he advanced his goal of destroying the world. However many Armored Riders have tried to face him, resulting in defeat and destroyed Sengoku Drivers. After Helheim was cleared from Zawame City, evil still arose as a new Rider appeared. The surviving Armored Riders are left without Sengoku Drivers or Lockseeds to battle this new threat because of some betrayal reasons by one of their friends who were once evil, save for one final mass-produced Driver, which is soon destroyed, and lastly, Mitsuzane's Sengoku Driver is the only one left. Until during Megahex's invasion, whereas Megahex gained data through a now Man of the Beginning Kouta, Takatora is the first Rider to regain his power, after Ryugen destroys one of Megahex's Kurokage robots and has some of Kurokage's Drivers left behind as Mitsuzane noticed it, and from Kouta's will to produce the Helheim's fruit for Takatora's use to transform again. Takatora notes that new Drivers could be constructed using the blueprints left behind by Ryoma, but the lack of Lockseeds would still leave them useless since Helheim's no longer on Earth anymore. However, Mai as the Woman of the Beginning (and presumably Kouta as the Man of the Beginning as well) possesses the ability to create new Lockseeds in the event of any new impending threats. Users (chronological order) Prototype version Mass-produced version *Yggdrasill Corporation Research Members: Harvesting Driver units with no Cutting Blade or special attachments; used by employees of Yggdrasill to safely harvest Lockseeds. (Status unknown following outlawing of Yggdrasill as a terrorist organization by world governments) *Kurokage Troopers: Units with no special attachments; used by employees of Yggdrasill to function as their foot soldiers. Decommissioned and disposed of following the end of the Helheim threat, save for one that was used by Jonouchi and destroyed in battle. **Mecha Kurokages: Two recreations of the Kurokage Troopers complete with Sengoku Driver, created by Megahex. One Driver is recovered by Mitsuzane, who gave it to Takatora. The fate of the second is unknown. These appear to be the same variation as Gridon and Bravo's second Drivers rather than the weaker mass-produced Drivers used by the original Kurokage Troopers. (Users destroyed) **Neo Baron henchmen: Units with no special attachments; used by members of Neo Baron. They were presumably obtained from the remnants of Yggdrasill who secretly operates Black Bodhi (post-Kugai). At least two such drivers were identified, both destroyed by Black Baron. (Users destroyed) *Zack/Armored Rider Knuckle: **A unit with no special attachments; stolen from Ryoma Sengoku's office in Yggdrasill Tower by Kaito, who gave it to Zack after stepping down as Team Baron's leader. It was later destroyed in battle with Baron. **Later given a replacement by Mitsuzane Kureshima, along with a new Kurumi Lockseed and a Marron Energy Lockseed. The source of the Lockseeds is unknown. *Hideyasu Jonouchi/Armored Rider Gridon/Armored Rider Kurokage II: ** (Armored Rider Gridon): A new unit with Gridon's original Rider Indicator (most likely to identify the Ride Wear suit); given to him after becoming an employee of Yggdrasill. It was later destroyed in battle by Knuckle and Marika. **(Armored Rider Kurokage II): Later obtains a standard Mass-produced driver from Takatora and utilizes the Matsubokkuri Lockseed to become Kurokage, only for it to be destroyed by Jam. *Oren Pierre Alfonzo/Armored Rider Bravo: A new unit with Bravo's original Rider Indicator (most likely to identify the Ride Wear suit); given to him after becoming an employee of Yggdrasill. It was later destroyed in battle by Lord Baron. *Takatora Kureshima/Armored Rider Zangetsu: **Harvesting Driver unit with no Cutting Blade or special attachments; given to him by Rosyuo after he lost his Genesis Driver and was trapped in the Helheim Forest. It is later abandoned after he regains his prototype Sengoku Driver, which is later destroyed in battle by Mitsuzane as Zangetsu Shin. **Mitsuzane later defeated a Mecha Kurokage and confiscated its Driver, which he gave to Takatora. Takatora subsequently picked up one of the Helheim's Fruits from Kouta's remaining Over Lord powers, which changed into a Melon Lockseed and altered the blank Rider Indicator to match his original. It is presumed this Driver is still intact in his possession. Other *Bujin Rider Gaim: Aesthetically identical to the yellow-belted prototype models (including a unique Rider Indicator), this unit equips the user with a Musou Saber and its holster; how he got it is unknown. Destroyed along with Bujin Gaim himself. (Deceased) *Ren Aoi/Armored Rider Fifteen: Aesthetically identical to the silver-belted mass production models, but with a unique Rider Indicator and belt formation (it appears to be made out of bone at first, then solidifies into a standard silver belt); obtained prior to joining the Badan Empire and recently being brainwashed by them after his son's apparent death and temporary revival. Destroyed by Gaim 1 Arms, freeing him from Badan's brainwashing. *Kougane/Armored Rider Mars/Armored Rider Jam: Aesthetically identical to the yellow-belted prototype models (including a unique Rider Indicator for each of his two Rider forms) (Deceased) **(Armored Rider Mars): Has no special attachments; appeared on him when he was awoken in the Soccer World by the alternate Ryoma Sengoku. Presumably stolen from Ryoma's lab. Destroyed by Gaim and Kamuro. **(Armored Rider Jam): Armed with a Musou Saber (but no Musou Saber Holster); obtained by unknown means. Destroyed by Ryugen and Gaim. *Kouta Kazuraba/Armored Rider Gaim Yami: Transformed version of his original Sengoku Driver, altering its yellow belt into silver like those of the mass production models, along with black recolored Lockseeds. It is equipped with a Genesis Core and a Lock Holder. This unit was reverted back to the original yellow belt, along with the Lockseed's original colors, when he was freed from Kougane's control. *Lapis/Armored Rider Kamuro: Aesthetically identical to the yellow-belted prototype models (including a unique Rider Indicator) but with no special attachments; presumably taken from Ryoma's lab or created via his bracelet, and uses it in conjunction with the Silver Ringo Lockseed given to him by DJ Sagara for a short time to fight Mars. (User MIA) *Maja/Armored Rider Gaim Yami/Armored Rider Maja: **(Armored Rider Gaim Yami): Aesthetically identical to the silver-belted mass production models, along with black recolored Lockseeds. It is equipped with a Genesis Core and a Lock Holder **(Armored Rider Maja): Aesthetically identical to the yellow-belted prototype models (including a unique Rider Indicator), but with no special attachments. *Kugai Kudo/Armored Rider Saver: Aesthetically identical to the silver-belted prototype (without a unique Rider Indicator) but with a Genesis Core in place of Rider Indicator faceplate. Formerly it was yellow-belted prototype. It was fully materialized by Kugai Kudo, who was reborn through the Driver and lived as an extension of the Sengoku Driver after his body is consumed in Lockseed creation accident. It was later destroyed permanently along with Kugai when Ryoma Sengoku destroys it for good. *Shura/Armored Rider Black Baron: Aesthetically identical to the yellow-belted prototype models (including a unique Rider Indicator) but with no special attachments. It was presumably obtained from the remnants of Yggdrasill who secretly operates Black Bodhi (post-Kugai). Gallery - Variants= Bujin Gaim FacePlate.png| Bujin Gaim ZangetsuWatermelonFaceplate.png| Zangetsu (Watermelon Lockseed) YOMIFACEPLATE.png| Ryugen Yomi - Apple Lockseed= IdunFaceplate.png| Idunn Mars Faceplate.png| Mars Kamuro Faceplate.png| Kamuro Jam Faceplate.png| Jam - Miscellaneous= Blank Faceplate.png| Blank (Unused/Kurokage Troopers/Knuckle) Duke Faceplate.png| Duke XV Faceplate.png| Fifteen Maja_Rider_Indicator.png| Maja Black Baron Faceplate.png| Black Baron }}}} Behind the scenes Portrayal The voice of the Sengoku Driver, as well as the Musou Saber and the Lockseeds, is provided by . Notes *In an interview with Hyper Hobby, Kamen Rider Gaim producer Naomi Takebe spoke of how she liked that the Riders were all using the same belt, reminding her of Kamen Rider Ryuki, where the Riders all used the V-Buckle belt to transform. Design-wise, she said how she liked the plate on the side that shows the Rider's face. Henshin Justice However, the Riders' Ride Wear transformation sequences are almost similar to the Riders from Kamen Rider Den-O. *The sight of the opened Orange Lockseed, bearing an image of orange slices, while inserted into the Sengoku Driver, creates a homage to the Double Riders' Typhoon, resembling the fan of the original belt. *The in Sengoku Driver is one kanji away from being . In this case, the kanji , meaning "country" or "state", is replaced with , meaning "extreme". This, however, is due to the fact that the Driver was directly named after its creator. *Depending on the Rider Indicator, the Sengoku Driver emits a different style of standby music every time a Lockseed is attached onto the Drive Bay and the lock is secured into the Lock On Arm. It also either announces a different word or emits the sound of a guitar riff every time the Cutting Blade is pressed down. The only exceptions to this are Mars, Kamuro, and Jam. **Gaim, Zangetsu, & Kurokage (Troopers): Japanese horagai music and the word . **Baron, Gridon, Duke, Idunn, & Black Baron: European trumpet music and the words . **Ryugen (Yomi): Chinese erhu & gong music and the word . **Bravo, Knuckle, Bujin Gaim, & Fifteen: American rock & roll music and a guitar riff. **Saver: Japanese horagai music and the word *The Sengoku Driver is similar to the Transforming Gaia Dinosaur Fang Memory, as both require a lever-like attachment to be pushed down between one and three times to access a weapon or ability. *Each of the Sengoku Driver's functions are named after a type of beverage. **Squash: Concentrated syrup. **Au Lait: Coffee with milk. **Sparking: Carbonated water. *The Sengoku Driver is similiar to the from , as it is named after creator. *Kamen Rider Knuckle was originally planned to have his own Rider Indicator. This was scrapped because the Ride Wear suit used in the production of Kamen Rider Gaim is a modified Kurokage suit with Gridon's helmet. *Gridon and Kurokage's Rider Indicators, when compared to the rest of the Armored Riders, are rather plain-looking. The reason for this is unknown, though due to some of the differences between them and the other Armored Riders, this may be an indication: **Their default forms are based on nuts instead of fruits (Gridon's Donguri Arms is based on an acorn, while Kurokage's Matsubokkuri Arms is based on a pinecone). **Their primary transformation Lockseeds are not A-Classes (Gridon's Donguri Lockseed is Class B, while Kurokage's Matsubokkuri Lockseed is Class C). This theory has some credence, as Kurokage's Indicator literally has nothing but his face on it, while Gridon's has a patch of brown. *The Drivers in Kamen Rider Gaim are similar to the Memory Drivers from Kamen Rider W, as they both have several generations of models. They are also similar in that they are meant to filter a raw power that would otherwise make an individual go insane. *The Sengoku Driver is the first main Rider Belt since Kamen Rider Kiva that does not contain the name of its series' protagonist Kamen Rider. *Out of the three alternate variations of Gaim's, Ryugen's, and Zangetsu's Rider Indicators, (Bujin Gaim, Ryugen Yomi, and Zangetsu Watermelon Arms), Gaim is the only one whose alternate Rider Indicator does not belong to himself, but rather to another Rider. References IT:Sengoku Driver Category:Transformation Gear Category:Arsenal (Gaim)